September 28 - Virtual Walking

Finally! At last I have crossed the Scottish border on my virtual walk in the United Kingdom. Back in February, I remember being quite excited as I began this walk at Land’s End on the Cornwall coast. These days I am dragging my feet a little as the real walking time seems to go on...and on...and on!

The walk itself is 1,083 miles or 1,805 kilometers. To date I have covered 75% of that distance and have just a tad over 300 miles to go. When we checked out my location on Google maps, Lyle tells me that for the past couple of weeks I have been walking mainly through fields, forest and now hills. In fact, apart from the towns and cities we visited on our actual holiday in2019, this is mostly what I remember about the Scottish landscape.

Our trip to Scotland was one of the last we were fortunate to take before the onset of COVID and I look back on it with very fond memories. We began in Glasgow, staying at a chain hotel, but one that was situated almost beside the River Clyde. The setting was perfect – within easy reach of some amazing walking trails but also close enough to the action of downtown and the hop on hop off bus stop.

One spot I remember particularly was a stop at the Art Gallery and Science Museum. The exterior of the building was amazing in its own right, but inside we came across a display featuring a life size albatross. Some years ago now, I remember being very disappointed when we visited an albatross sanctuary in New Zealand. The birds were too far distant for me to see anything, but here in the museum the bird was close enough and large enough for me to see it. It was huge! The taxidermist must have had quite a job with this one!

We were only in Glasgow for four days – not nearly long enough. The city has a vivid historical past and had our time permitted, I would have stayed even longer. I wonder if my virtual walk will take me near the city as I make my way north. Only three hundred miles to go!

 

 

 

 

September 12 - Nose on the Screen

In my younger sighted days, I liked to play tennis. In my current only partially sighted days, I find that I can sometimes hit a serve and rarely hit a ball when it comes back to me. This hasn’t diminished my love of the sport and so when the big tennis Open matches come on TV, I push my chair up close to the screen to see whatever I can see.

As I crane forward, this posture doesn’t do too much for my back and neck, but I am glad that I can still see enough to follow the play. Often times when Lyle and I “watch” television, I will sit back in a more comfortable chair and just listen to the audio. I like to watch sit comes where I know the characters and can recognize their voices. I like certain news commentators more than others. This also holds true for the commentators on the tennis matches.

I feel very fortunate that I am living in present times when my vision loss is compensated by so many advances in technology. As I am typing this, although I see nothing on my computer screen, my JAWS program is reading back to me every word that I type.

Still, there are some activities where my nose to the screen is the best option. Watching the US tennis Open has been one of these. Congratulations to Leylah Fernandez, Canada’s rising young star of the tennis world as she reached The Women’s Finals in this event. This young tennis player is going to be one to watch in the future, and I think will cause more nose prints on my TV screen!

September 4 - More Wood Carvings

Lyle and I have just returned from a family camping trip to Manitoba. It has been just over a year since we had seen family there so the mini holiday was just great. I wonder how long it will be before we can all travel safely again without thinking of restrictions imposed by the COVID virus. Even this summer, out of province travellers to Manitoba campgrounds were required to be fully vaccinated – a safety ruling to which I whole heartedly subscribe.

However, I digress. After my last post re Denis Chabot’s wood carvings, I really want to write a little more about this art form. With my limited sight, I am unable to fully appreciate 2-D art. It’s a shame, but that is the way it is. However, sculptures are a different story. Sometimes I am able to see the outline if I am up close enough, but mostly I like it when I am able to touch the sculptures or carvings themselves.

This happened when we were at a small Farmers Market in Arnes, pronounced R-nez. The village is just north of Gimli and if you are in the area on a Saturday morning, it is a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Our grandson had fun feeding the goats before we strolled around the semi permanent vendor stalls. Then we came to what I liked the most.

To one side there was a substantial play area of wood carvings. There was an old fashioned swing, a bowling lane, a teeter-totter, a zip line and more. Some one had gone to a lot of work. My favourites were the mini statues of Disney and other cartoon characters lined up facing the road.  I was able to touch and see each one.

I remember the first time that I had this hands on experience at a public exhibit. We were in San Diego at an aviation museum. Of course I was using my white cane. I was jolted out of my relative boredom of not seeing much, when a museum official approached me with a pair of white gloves. He handed them to me and encouraged me to explore the various exhibits using a hands-on approach. I was thrilled and the museum suddenly became a place of intense interest.

I have come across this invitation to accessibility on only a few occasions but when offered it has been much appreciated. I am sure that it is difficult to strike a balance between protecting valuable exhibits and ensuring that those same exhibits are accessible to those of us with limited or no vision.

There is a picture with this post. It shows our grandson standing between two carved Minions at the Arnes Farmers Market. Our grandson is around the same height as the two Minions, but of course from our viewpoint, he is ever so much cuter.

 

A grandson between two minions!

 

 

 

August 26 - Low Vision Artist

Denis Chabot has low vision. He is also a very talented sculptor. His wood carvings are exceptional.

Denis and I were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. Of course, the connection was that we both had low vision. Since that introduction, Denis and his wife Denise have been faithful members of our vision loss support group.

Denis has been living with low vision all his life, but it has only been in his retirement years that he has been able to make time for his wood carving hobby. I did suggest to Denis that his pieces were certainly good enough to sell, but he didn’t really want to make such a big time commitment. Mostly his sculptures are for himself and for family – especially for his grandchildren.

Denis has clever hands and an eye for detail. It is this latter that truly amazes me. After all, Denis can’t really see the detail he is carving. For instance, in daily life Denis uses an electronic magnifier to see and read the local newspaper. While he might be able to “see” a person on the other side of the street, he is unable to identify who it might be. In spite of this, Denis is able to sculpt incredible detail into his wood carvings. Denis allowed me to touch his carvings and I could feel the detail. I was impressed.

Denis told me that Denis has made numerous items of furniture for their home – including tables and a six-piece dresser. Uniquely carved flower pots stand at the entrance of their garage and driveway. I was intrigued by two special piggy banks – a dinosaur and a truck, both with coin slots at the top and removable parts to retrieve the coins when full. Denis has also made a couple of special pieces that he intends donating for auction at his local church fund raiser.

I am including four pictures with this post. Of course, they don’t quite do justice to what you might see and feel in person.

Picture 1 shows Denis standing beside several of the trucks and cars in his collection. One of his favourite models is a precise replica of a 1958 Ford Fairlane convertible he made for his brother-in-law. 

Denis with his trucks and cars

 Picture 2 shows me standing beside Denis holding the dinosaur piggy bank. It is quite large – about thirty centimeters tall.

Sue holding dinosaur bank with Denis

 

Picture 3 shows one of Denis’s first winter retirement creations. It is a farm truck and trailer. Of course there are tiny animals inside the stock trailer. As Denis pointed out, he made it for his grandchildren and what is the point unless you can play with the animals inside as well.

 

More trucks

Picture 4 shows one of my favourite pieces. It is a nativity scene. Mary and Joseph are beside the cradle in the foreground and nine carved stars form an arch overhead. There is an added feature of a string of miniature lights threaded through some more tiny stars at the base. Denis and Denise say that they put this piece on their mantelpiece during the Christmas season. I am sure that it is totally unique.

 

Nativity scene

 Thanks, Denis for sharing your talent with us.

 

 

August 13 - Blind Spots

It is always quite difficult for me to explain my low vision. I imagine that it might be the same for other people who have limited sight. It is far easier to explain full sight or no sight at all, but low vision can be different with different eye conditions. For instance, some people have poor central vision and others have no peripheral vision. My own sight seems to be all over the place and I know that I have what I would call various “blind spots”.

These blind spots are more noticeable when I am looking straight ahead. Most times I am so used to this phenomenon that I don’t really pay any attention to it. However, twice in the last few days I have come up short. The first time was in our driveway and the second time was on our local walking trail. Both times were a surprise.

The driveway incident had Lyle shaking his head with laughter. In the early morning I had put out several bags and boxes for a collection agency. Then I was back inside to shower, have breakfast and get ready for our morning walk. I was a bit rushed for time and Lyle went outside to wait in the car. As I raced out to meet him, looking ahead to the car, I crashed right into the boxes I had left there only a couple of hours previously. I had forgotten that they were there and simply didn’t see them again.

The second incident was on our usual walking trail. This is a trail that I walk along several times each week and so it is very familiar. However, on this particular day there was a crew working on the bridge underpass. My walking partner was very careful in directing my path through the roped off construction zone. It was only at the last minute that she realized that I was going to walk directly into the side mirror of one of the parked trucks. I stopped inches before smashing my face into the mirror. I simply don’t see what is right in front of me.

These blind spots are interesting when it comes to using a white cane. Obviously I wasn’t using my cane in my driveway, but the cane just isn’t helpful when it comes to detecting objects at the height of shoulder or face level. The mirror of the construction truck was a one off incident, but I have also come into contact with side mirrors when vehicles are parked too close to or even on the curb.

I also find it especially annoying when people allow branches from the trees in their yards to hang out over the sidewalks. Pedestrians with sight can merely duck their heads or walk out onto the road. I tend to walk right into the offending branch. Sidewalk obstacles can definitely create hazards for pedestrians with limited sight.

My blind spots can be frustrating and annoying, but for the most part I am grateful for the sight that I have. I am also grateful when other people make concessions for those of us who do have limited sight and who try to ensure that our pathways are clear of potential hazards.

July 30 - Counting Fingers

Do you remember your last eye exam? What kinds of vision tests were you given? Does your optometrist ask you to read a line of letters on a chart or to follow a little light around as he/she examines your retina? These kinds of tests don’t work for me. I have long ago given up the idea of finding letters on an eye chart. When I go to the optometrist, I don’t do any of these types of tests. Instead, the test for my central vision is to try to see and count the number of fingers that my optometrist holds up in front of my eyes.

Sometimes I try to do this test for myself at home. Of course, I have the added advantage of knowing how many fingers I am holding up, but I still try to see if the number that I see matches what I know to be there. I also have the advantage of trying this test in various lights as opposed to the dimly lit room of the optometrist office.

There are also times when I wonder if I will always have all my fingers to count. I was thinking this just the other day when I once again jammed my thumb into a splinter of wood.  I had been reaching down to a lock on our deck door but somehow misjudged where I was reaching and suddenly ...OW! The splinter jammed itself right under my thumbnail. Even then I couldn’t see exactly what I had done. After Lyle pulled it out with tweezers, he told me that I shouldn’t put the chunk of wood in the garbage. When I asked why not, he responded with unusual and mostly unappreciated humour that the splinter might just be big enough to add as kindling for our woodpile.

Because I can’t see the ends of my fingers, I have had several past accidentals pokes, slices and jabs. Last fall, I put my hand down to lift up our apple slicer. Unfortunately, it was upside down on the counter and I ended up with a deep slice in my left thumb.

These little misadventures have reminded me of how little I really do see with my central vision. I often find myself reaching and touching things that I can’t see. Most of the accidents are minor – a spilt glass of water for instance. Minor accidents are frustrating but the issue can usually be resolved without too much fuss. The others, where I end up hurt, take a little more time. My thumb is still bruised and hurting although I count myself fortunate that I will likely keep the nail. Basically, if I hope to continue to count fingers I need to take more care when I am handling sharp objects.  I need my hands and fingers with their accompanying sense of touch to help me see.

July 15 - Mini Golf and Other Games

Last week on our family summer holiday, we played mini golf. It was a swelteringly hot day but we were on holidays and playing mini golf was somewhat traditional.

As we played, I realized that my sight had deteriorated from this same time last year. This year, I wasn’t able even to glimpse the end of the little track to the hole. I had no chance of seeing the hole itself. After the first two holes, Lyle pointed out that I wasn’t even holding my golf club correctly. I had been trying to hit the ball with the short end rather than the longer end of the club. I stumbled a bit walking from one hole to the next. I certainly missed my white cane, but I had left it behind, reasoning that holding one stick was going to be enough for me to handle. A golf club and a white cane at the same time would have been just too awkward.

Now you might be wondering why I had decided to join the family for what sounds a bit like torture. Actually, in spite of my difficulties with the practicalities of the game, it was fun and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. Our five year-old granddaughter was a huge help in assisting me in finding my ball after each shot, and one member of the family usually helped in lining up my initial putt. When the scores were tallied, we sat under a shady tree to hear the results. I “won” with the highest score – being at least twenty strokes more than the next person on the scoreboard. (In case you are unaware, in golf the player with the lowest number of strokes is the winner.) We all clapped for my incredibly high score. Daughter Jenny received an ovation for her three holes in one. We clapped for Lyle for his sportsmanship and for Andrew for his skill in keeping the scores. Of course, Lexi received an enthusiastic applause for being the absolutely cutest player on the team. Now I ask you, how could I have missed all that! It didn’t seem to matter that I couldn’t see to play well. It just mattered that I was part of the family team.

We are hoping to play a number of other outdoor games this summer. Again, I know that I will be the poorest player when it comes to skill and seeing, but my family is great. I don’t plan on missing out on the fun because of my limited sight. No, it won’t be the same as if I had twenty twenty vision, but I am going with what I have and making the most of it. Summer games can be so much fun!